The New England Patriots have not exactly been delicate about their need for a true #1 receiver this offseason.
With reports having surfaced that they are being “aggressive” in their pursuit of All-Pro wideout, DK Metcalf, who recently submitted a trade request to the Seattle Seahawks, the Patriots are considered by many to be the leader in acquiring the former Ole Miss star’s services.
And it turns out that there is widespread consensus in the league is that DK could well end up in New England. Daniel Jeremiah – speaking on The Pat McAfee Show – revealed that all of his league contacts are projecting that Metcalf will end up in Foxborough.
“Everybody is saying DK [Metcalf] to New England, man”, Jeremiah told McAfee and co., “Everybody in the league thinks that DK’s going to New England…
DK becomes available and you just talk to a bunch of buddies around the league and they’re like, it just makes too much sense – they have all the money, they have all the space, they have no weapons…second round pick [in exchange for] DK Metcalf.”
Who Are The Patriots’ Main Competition For Metcalf’s Services?
Although there are numerous NFL teams that would benefit from acquiring the 2 x All-Pro, his market may not be as volumous as some might believe.
Jeremiah’s assessment implies a team would need to give up their second round pick, and perhaps more for those selecting in the bottom half of the draft. Equally, given his pedigree and the going rate for WR1s in the league, a team picking him up would likely need to pay him $30+ million/year.
All of this for a very consistent receiver, but not one who has ever spent significant time atop the pile of the elite players at his position.
The Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills are all reported to be potentially in the mix to trade for Metcalf, alongside reigning AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Are The Patriots The Only Serious Contenders For DK?
However, there would be reasons to hesitate for all of the aforementioned names above:
The Packers rarely, if ever, give up valuable picks to trade for veteran players; the Chargers are ideologically looking to get cheaper and build through the draft; the Steelers already have a high maintenance wideout in George Pickens; and the Bills just got rid of their “diva” receiver in Stefon Diggs last spring.
That leaves just the Chiefs, however with Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice seeming like the team’s future pass-catchers, it would make more sense for KC to re-allocate their resources towards fixing the leaky offensive line, rather than trading valuable picks for a mid-tier WR1 in his late twenties.
And whilst the Seahawks are supposedly talking to a lot of teams about moving for Metcalf, it feels like few will be serious enough to give up significant draft compensation – equatable to an early second rounder.
So the Patriots, given their cap space and need to surround quarterback, Drake Maye with better pieces, feels like the most natural fit. But it’s still anything but guaranteed.
